In his new book, Money’s On The Dresser, author Christopher Daniels walks a fine line between salacious tell-all and heartfelt memoir, but with his sincere and relatable tone, he pulls it off perfectly. Yes, he’s a gay porn star, and yes, he’s Rentboy’s 2013 Hooker of the Year, but you probably have more in common with him than you think.

Christopher sat down with me to christen Str8UpGayPorn with its first exclusive interview, and if you’re half as charmed with his answers as I was, then you should buy his damn book! It’s great.

Str8UpGayPorn: I think most people might have an idea of what your book is about based on the title and based on their knowledge of who you are, but is there anything that might actually come as a surprise?
Christopher Daniels: The book isn’t all about freakishly weird escorting experiences, although there are a few of those in there. It might not be so much a “surprise,” but my intent was to hopefully help destigmatize sex workers and give people a look into what we do and what we deal with on a daily basis.

When did the idea come to you to put the book together?
The idea came to me one day when a man called me to come to his hotel and fuck his 12-year-old virgin son, and then him. I guess this was their idea of a “Vegas experience.”

I take it you turned him down.
Yes. And I was left speechless, stunned, and feeling sick to my stomach. I guess that was my Oprah “A-HA” moment where I figured I should start writing this shit down.

After that experience, what kind of stuff did you NOT write about?
Well I didn’t want this to be a book where I bitched about how fat/ugly/gross/smelly/hideous clients were. I feel like that’s just mean, and I didn’t want people to think I was biting the hand that fed me. I wanted to be honest about my experiences, but I never wanted anything I wrote to come across as nasty or hateful.

Some people have the misconception that porn stars can’t write, let alone read. Have you encountered clients who misjudge or underestimate you?
Some porn stars actually can’t read or write, but I’ll save that for my second book. Usually, guys who misjudge or disrespect are just drunk assholes at a bar. My actual clients are usually all very respectful. I think they know when they read my ad, look at my pictures, and speak to me on the phone that I’m not some sketched out tweaker ready to give a $20 handjob for my next hit.

Sometimes you can tell just from reading an ad which Rentboys are a little…special.
Hey, some of us went to community college and, not to brag, but I did almost finish my associates degree in communications…just sayin’!

Other than tweakers, what’s the most frustrating thing happening to the gay porn industry right now?
I think it’s sad and frustrating that gay porn is not as glamorous as it once was. I don’t even know what a porn star is anymore. Anyone can be a porn star, and if you look online you will see that clearly EVERYONE is doing porn. Sometimes I’ll meet a guy at a party or club and he’ll tell me he’s a “porn star.” I don’t tell him what I do, but I begin asking questions about his stardom and he usually tells me he did two scenes for Bait Bus.

Move over Brent Everett!
Yeah, and not that there’s anything wrong with two Bait Bus scenes, but I prefer to leave the “stardom” to guys like Francois Sagat, Adam Killian, Erik Rhodes, and so on.

Is there anything to fix it so stars are actually Stars again?
No, it’s just the way it is. It’s the world we live in, and I have no idea what direction this industry is taking. Some guys either have it, or not. I think when you have that certain quality that sets you apart, you will be noticed. But I’m getting sick of these studios presenting us with certain guys and saying, “OK everyone…here HE is! THIS is the new face of gay porn! Here’s your star! Start jerking off!” These porn studios are like a bunch of Kris Jenners and it’s like, no. Stop trying to make fetch happen.

Did things change for you professionally after you were named Hooker of the Year?One result of winning the award was it put me out in the spotlight a bit more and attracted some “interesting” people. Tons of guys started calling me to just chat, hear my voice, or tell me their life story. Don’t get me wrong, I’m flattered and all but I’m running a business here and I’m not really looking for new friends by placing an ad on Rentboy. Overall though, there have been more opportunities, but shockingly I can still go to the mall and not be recognized!

Did you start charging more after the award win?
No, I kept my rates the same, and things have been going pretty well. I have no delusions of raising my rate to $500/hour and my phone suddenly ringing off the hook.

Is it customary to tip escorts? What’s the most you ever made in a single night?
I think it’s a very nice gesture to tip an escort, but I don’t expect it. Sometimes I get paid obscene amounts of money to do barely anything, but then there are plenty of nights where you better believe I earn that money. Let’s just leave it at that. The most I’ve been paid? I’m not sure…one client bought me a Louis Vuitton suitcase for my birthday. That was pretty fucking awesome.

What’s more exhausting: Writing a book or getting fucked on a porn set for eight hours?
Neither! Writing the book was the easy part, and although shooting porn can be exhausting, I still enjoy it. The hardest thing I have had to do was edit this book. I think I read it at least one hundred times, and every time I got it back from the copy editor and I would have to review the changes I would want to throw my lap top against the wall. I felt like my words and story were beginning to lose their meaning, and I didn’t even know what I was talking about anymore. I had to step back several times and take a break from reading it.

What do you hope people will gain from reading the book?
I really hope they hear my voice and can relate to some of my experiences. It’s not all about escorting and sex work, although there is a lot of that in there. I talk about my upbringing, my childhood, and my journey into sex work and porn. We’re all really not so different, and I hope that people can read my story and find a bit of themselves in what they read. As long as people aren’t bored, then I’ll be happy. Trust me…just read the book. You’ll enjoy it.

For US orders of Money’s On The Dresser – Escorting, Porn and Promiscuity in Las Vegas, go to christopher-daniels.com. For international orders, go to Amazon. An eBook and Kindle version will be available by mid December.